Emerald Green Eyes
by fictiongirl631
Summary: Sasuke returns only to realize the mess he left behind. im no good at summaries, but R&R please.
1. Sasuke's Return

**Chapter One - Sasuke's Return**

It was a peaceful summers day in Konoha. The wind was extinguishing most of the dry heat, and the main streets were busy with citizens and travelers alike. The quietest place in the village was probably the visiting entrance, which was empty with the exception of two Konoha ninjas who sat awaiting to greet visitors and check their ID's. They were sitting in silence.

"Who's that coming down the path?" one of the men asked suddenly, pointing into the distance. "I didn't think we were expecting anyone else."

"A traveler?" suggested the other, squinting at the figure.

Whoever it was, he or she was walking rapidly towards the gate, and it wasn't long before they could make out the boy's finer features.

He was wearing long back ninja pants, sandals, a tight-fitting black t-shirt that showed off his newly defined muscles (though perhaps not intentionally), and a piece of rope was tied around his neck from which hung a single blue crystal. He had dark hair that hung in front of his face and dark eyes.

He wore a blank expression on his face as he passed through the gates. It had been four years since he'd been there last, but it all looked the same. He wasn't wearing a ninja headband, but the guards recognized him all the same.

There was a moment of stunned silence before one of the guards choked out, "Uchiha... Sasuke."

Sasuke just gave a polite nod and made to continue when the second ninja finally found his voice and yelled, "Oi! You think we're just gonna let you walk in knowing you work for Orochimaru?!"

Sasuke turned and stared at the at the ninja before he said calmly, "I have killed Orochimaru. At the moment I obey no one." with that, he turned and continued walking, leaving the stunned ninjas to digest this latest report.

XxXxXxX

Nara Shikamaru was the first of his friends to spot the former-missing-nin on the main street. At first he was so angry he was shaking. How _dare _he come back, after what he did to Sakura? And after half of his friends almost died on the mission to save _him. _Did he care?

_But he did come back, _said his inner, calmer self.

What did he mean by it, exactly?

_Just talk to him. But be civil, please. A fight wouldn't do - would attract unwanted attention. And Sakura would kill you._

Taking a deep breath, he strolled over to where Sasuke was observing some crystal beads on a nearby stall.

"Sasuke," he said by means of a greeting.

Sasuke turned. "Shikamaru," he said, inclining his head slightly. "congratulations on becoming Jounin." **(A/N: I dunno if I spelt Jounin right.)**

"Hai." Shikamaru said quietly. "Arigoto. Er - how long have you been back?"

"I've just arrived. I was a fool, Shikamaru. I've come to acknowledge this, and then I will leave. I am not welcome here."

"You aren't staying, then?" Shikamaru let out a low whistle and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked extremely uncomfortable. "Troublesome..." he muttered, and then looked at Sasuke in the eye. "In any case, you'll need to see Hokage-sama. Mind if I walk with you?"

It quickly became apparent to Sasuke that he wasn't going to have much a choice as Shikamaru steered him down one of the side roads that lead to the Hokage's tower. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Sasuke's curiosity overcame common sense.

"Why do we take this road when the main road would take us to the Hokage's tower so much faster?" Sasuke asked, immediately feeling very foolish.

"As you may remember, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura-san's apartment is on the main road," Shikamaru said while staring straight ahead. "It would be best, I believe, if you didn't greet her or make her aware of your presence in any way during your stay. I worry... about the effect your leaving again may have on her.

"She's not the girl you remember. Everything about her has changed except the deep, almost unhealthy love she has for you. I don't want her hurt any more then she already has, for your sake as well as hers. But I must go. I have no doubt we will meet again." and then he was gone.

XxXxXxX

Tsunade gave him two weeks in Konoha to do what he had to and get out.

Without thinking, Sasuke left down the main road, and only remember what Shikamaru had told him when he caught site of the familiar yellow building. Curiosity won, and he picked up speed.

_What are you doing? _he asked himself.

Just one glance... this is what he'd come for, wasn't it?

_Are you sure you want to know?_

Sasuke ignored this thought and rushed to her lemon-yellow apartment building. And then he saw her, standing on the deck, staring absently into the distance. His heart plummeted painfully, and he almost gasped in shock.

If he hadn't known Sakura's emerald green eyes so well he never would've recognized her. The first thing that became apparent was that she had lost a lot of weight. Her Konoha headband fit comfortably around her waist and her arms looked like two sticks attached to her body.

She had traded her red dress in for a midnight blue one with a plunging neckline. The flowing skirt it was attached to fell to her ankles and swished softly in the wind. She had dark circles under her eyes and her permanently blank expression gave you the impression that she had quite forgotten how to smile.

But it was her hair that shocked Sasuke the most. Her beautiful, bubble-gum-pink hair had been roughly cut to her shoulders and dyed a dark, inky brown.

That was about when he heard a familiar voice yell, "_you bastard_!" and he felt a sharp pain as two kunai hit him squarely in the chest. He distantly heard Sakura's screams, and saw crimson blood on the road in front of him.

He fell to the ground, aware only distantly of the activity all around him. "Sakura... chan..." he whispered, and slipped into unconciousness.


	2. Sakura's Tears

**CHAPTER TWO: SAKURA-SAN'S TEARS**

"He did _what?!"_

"Two kunai - straight to the chest. In front of Haruno Sakura's apartment building."

"In front of _Sakura's? _Jesus Christ... but couldn't he dodge the kunai?"

"Apparently not."

Tsunade swore under her breath and hurried to Sasuke's bed where he was still unconscious. As she watched him rhythmically breathing in and out, she thought fleetingly that this was the calmest she had ever seen him.

She moved over to the herb cabinet and began mixing his medicine. _Basil, lavender, honey--_

"Sakura...chan..."

The voice made her jump and she whirled around. Sasuke was still unconscious, talking in his sleep.

"G-gomenasai..." he apologized softly. The peaceful expression on his face had been replaced by a look of... fear? Tsunade stared at him. This was a new expression on his usually-emotionless face. He turned on his side. "I'm here," he breathed.

Tsunade almost smiled. She always knew he'd had feelings for her, deep down. Then a yell from the hallway pulled her from her thoughts.

"Sakura-san!" she heard Lee call. "Can't you wait a day or two, at least?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Sakura screamed, running into the room. Lee followed her, and TenTen and Neji were close behind.

When Sakura finally saw Sasuke, she froze. _There he is, _she thought. _He's really and truly back. _Her courage finally failed her and a single tear trailed down her cheek. Lee put and arm around her and held her close.

A speechless TenTen instinctively moved closer to Neji, who did not move away but rather looked as calm and thoughtful as always.

That was when Sasuke opened his eyes. He gazed up at all his old friends, four years older. And then he looked at Sakura, who was staring at him from Lee's arms like she'd never seen a boy before.

"Sakura," he tried to sit up, but his wounds still hadn't completely healed and he cried out in pain.

Tsunade rushed over from the herb cabinet and checked his wounds. "They're bleeding again. _Damnit.."_

Sakura broke away from Lee and sat in the stool next to Sasuke, watching as Tsunade applied an olive green paste to his chest, rewrapped his bandages, and gave him a sleeping pill. And then she left without a word.

Sasuke opened his eyes and was surprised to see Sakura sitting next to him, crying silently. Without thinking, Sasuke lifted one of his own shaking hands and brushed her cheek, wiping the tears away. He gave a small smile and closed his eyes again, immediately falling asleep.

Without a word Sakura stood and left the room, leaving Neji, TenTen, and Lee to stand there in stunned silence. Had Sasuke just _smiled?_

XxXxXxX

"Naruto!" Tsunade called impatiently.

Naruto ran into the room, looking livid with anger. "How could you let him stay here?! HOW?!"

"I really do understand your anger, but what the hell were you thinking, throwing those kunai?!" Tsunade asked, trying to control her anger. "What _happened?!"_

Naruto took a deep breath. "It was Shikamaru who told me he was here. So I was on my way to see you when _there he was, _right on the main road. He was staring at Sakura-chan, right in the middle of the street! And I just got so _mad. _I yelled that he was a bastard, but he didn't move, so without thinking I threw the kunai. I figured he, the great Uchiha, would be able to dodge them, but he didn't even move until they hit him!" he said all of this very fast.

Tsunade looked at Naruto carefully. "He didn't move to defend himself at all?"

"Not that I could see. I think he heard me and saw the kunai, but just... oh, I don't know. All I know is he loves her. I don't know how I know that..."

Tsunade nodded, "Oh, I don't doubt that," she looked at Naruto quizzically, "but does she have enough heart left to love him in return?" she sighed. What would come of her student?

XxXxXxX

Sakura was sitting alone in her dark apartment when the doorbell rang. She didn't particularly feel like talking to anyone, but ran to answer it anyway.

"Sakura-san," said a deep voice. It was Neji. "May I come in?"

"H-hai," said Sakura, moving aside so Neji could step into her apartment's living room.

"I came to check on you. Everyone's worried, and by coming myself I saved you from what would have surely been a very loud visit from Naruto and Lee." he raised an eyebrow at Sakura and sat on the couch.

"Thank you.." Sakura sat too.

"So," Neji said, "quite a day."

"Quite a four months, more like," said Sakura, relaxing immediately.

Neji inclined his head. "Yes," he said softly, never tearing his lavender eyes away from her green ones.

Out of all her friends, Sakura found it easiest to talk to Neji. He was always kind, calm, and honest, no matter what she told him. And he always understood.

"I...I love him with all my heart. I do. But sometimes I wonder..."

"If you're wrong to love when there's no chance of him loving you back? Or so it seems?" She nodded, and Neji sighed. " I cannot answer that for you." he looked her in the eye. "I don't believe it can be wrong to love, Sakura. Though sometimes... sometimes you have to recognize that it's time to move on." he sat and just looked at her for a long time.

Apparently satisfied with the advice he'd given her, he made to go. He walked to the door before he paused and said, "I know the old Sakura-san is somewhere in those eyes. I miss her. And I have faith in you." and with that he opened the door and left her sitting alone in her living room, tears soaking through her dress. She missed the old Sakura-san, too.


	3. Convincing You To Fall

**CHAPTER THREE: CONVINCING YOU TO FALL**

Sasuke was released from the hospital three days later with only ten days left until he had to leave Konoha. He was staying in Kakashi's spare room, who had come to visit him the day before, both amused that he had been hit by the kunai so easily, and incredulous to find that he didn't have anywhere to stay.

"Didn't you prepare at all?" he asked impatiently, "did you expect to just knock on Naruto's door four years, one fight, and one depressed teammate later and have him welcome you with open arms?"

"He was the one who threw the kunai, right?" said Sasuke.

"Did you see him?"

"No, but he always was one to scream and attack without thinking," said Sasuke, mildly amused. "Hasn't changed very much, really."

"I wouldn't make that assumption so readily," said Kakashi quietly. "In any case, you might as well stay with me. A week and a half left after you get out of here, right?" Sasuke nodded. "Okay, I live right over there, big brick building, just off the main road. You can't miss it. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

So that was where Sasuke was headed, and had just caught sight of the brick building when he spotted Ichiraku's Ramen Shop across the road. Smiling to himself, he stepped inside and immediately saw Naruto with Hinata and Neji Hyuuga, happily slurping his noodles.

Almost positive Neji and Hinata hadn't seen him come in with their Byakugans deactivated, he crept up behind Naruto and whispered, "didn't think a couple of throwing knives would be enough to finish me, did you?" he smirked when Naruto jumped in his chair and whirled around, eyes wide.

"Sasuke! What the hell, you scared me!" he looked decidedly nervous at seeing his former teammate again.

Sasuke inclined his head. "I apologize." and he sat in a chair at the other end of the long marble counter.

"Anything I can get for you?" asked the chef.

"Er—the special." said Sasuke, who had no idea what he was ordering but knew every restaurant had a special.

"You got it."

Naruto eyed Sasuke suspiciously.

"Y-you threw the... the kunai... Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, astonished.

"That was really very foolish of you," Neji sighed.

"Yeah, well, he was eyeing Sakura-chan..." Naruto trailed off miserably as Neji raised an eyebrow at Sasuke.

Sasuke scowled, "_That's _why I got two kunai straight in the chest?! Every time I'm injured, this damn curse-mark tries to heal me, and I become the second form! I lose control! The wretched seals break and I'm back where I started again! Did you think I was kept in the hospital so long for a _couple of kunai wounds?" _Sasuke stood up, losing his temper quickly, glaring at Naruto.

Everyone looked extremely taken aback, including the ramen chef. Naruto looked frightened, the only one of the three who had actually seen Sasuke in second form.

"S-sumane.." Naruto said quietly, eyes wide. So Sasuke really was fighting his dark side.

"Whatever, Naruto," said Sasuke, looking tired rather than angry now. They all noticed the dark rings under his eyes as he slapped down some coins for his uneaten ramen and left the restaurant.

Kakashi was waiting for Sasuke at the brick building. "You're later than I expected," he said mildly, leading Sasuke into his spacious apartment.

"I stopped at Ichiraku's."

"Talked to Naruto, did you?" Kakashi looked amused.

"Idiot." he sat on the couch halfheartedly.

"Don't judge him too harshly, Sasuke. He looked at you and saw the reason his friend was in so much pain. I'm not saying what he did was right, but... he's had a rough couple of years. Now, let's move on to lighter subjects, eh?"

Sasuke just looked straight ahead and said, "so it's my fault? That she's so..." he trailed off, his voice strangled.

Kakashi looked at him curiously for a moment before responding sadly, "I guess you could say that. It took about a year for her to decide you were never coming back, and it was all downhill from there, I suppose." Sasuke winced and Kakashi sighed. He'd known that they would come to this eventually. "So," he said carefully, "what _has _been going on between you two?"

"Nothing."

"Right..."

"I'm serious."

Kakashi sighed. "Okay, let me rephrase that question... what were you thinking when you were staring at her like that in the middle of the road? Naruto said it was your expression... you looked torn between horror, fondness, and just plain exhaustion. And that was just what his still fairly immature eyes could see." he shrugged, staring at Sasuke expectantly with the one eye that wasn't covered with the mask.

Sasuke stared back at Kakashi, and then sighed. He knew his former sensei, who knew him better than most and could usually tell when he was lying, wasn't going to let this go until Sasuke gave him an answer. "I was thinking..." Sasuke tried to take himself back to just before the kunai. "I was thinking about the sadness in her face...and how well I understood that. And how much it hurt me to see her in pain." he was surprised at the words coming out of his mouth, but knew at the same time that what he was saying was true.

Kakashi just nodded, fighting very hard to keep his face expressionless. "Ah," was all he said.

They sat in silence for a long time, each deeply immersed in their own thoughts. Sasuke was surprised by how much better he felt, having another person he could talk to and ask for advice. It was a feeling he was altogether unfamiliar with.

But that being said, he felt even more confused than he had to begin with. Could he really love Sakura, the pink-haired fan girl that had always driven him crazy in their academy days? And was Sakura even capable of loving anymore, when she had spent so long hating everyone and everything? He wasn't sure, knowing that way of living pretty well himself. And there was the fact that he had to leave Konoha in a week and a half. He couldn't do what he did last time. He'd changed too much.

He quickly made a decision: he wouldn't, couldn't, tell Sakura how he felt when he had to leave again so soon. That, he was sure, would be the end of her 'getting better', would cause her to fall of the edge. And he would be the one pushing her down.

Suddenly, two years of traveling as a rogue ninja without a comfortable, familiar bed to sleep in at night hit Sasuke like a brick wall. He slumped onto the couch, put his head in his hands, and closed his eyes. Kakashi just watched, bemused. What kind of hells had _he _been through these past years? And suddenly the Jônin felt very foolish, trying to make Sasuke understand and sympathize with what had happened in Konoha after he left, while he was fighting one of the most dangerous ninja in the Bingo Book. No wonder he was unimpressed with Konoha's horror stories.

After what felt like a long time Kakashi said, "time for bed, I think. The spare room is just down the hall, last to the left, and the washroom is right across from there."

Sasuke thanked him quietly, headed to his temporary room, and closed the door. Kakashi could hear the soft _click! _as Sasuke pushed the lock.

Kakashi thought over the conversation they had just had in his living room once he got to his own bedroom, analyzing and re-analyzing every single thing Sasuke had done and said, every tone in his voice. It seemed to him that the time away had made Sasuke a little more human. And he couldn't help but think that this had, more or less, been what he'd hoped for when he'd killed Uchiha Itachi.

XxXxXxX

"Sakura, this is ridiculous, you have to go talk to him," said Tsunade during training. She was reviewing how to cure some of the damage on very serious flesh wounds on a cat who had gotten into a fight with one of Kiba's family dogs. "he's just staying over at Kakashi's."

"Kakashi-_sensei's?_" Sakura asked as she struggled to keep up with her teacher. Flesh wounds were quite routine, really, it had been the first thing she was taught, but Tsunade could do it so _fast._

"How many other Kakashi's do we know? You have to do this, Sakura, you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't."

Sakura knew in her heart that the Hokage was right. She had to go talk to him. "Alright..." she said anxiously.

"_Good_."

So that's how, hours later, Sakura came to be walking down the familiar road to Kakashi's apartment, feeling the way she imagined the prisoners in those old pirate movies must have felt when they were about to step up onto the plank and be tossed into the sea.

She stopped when she saw Ichiraku's. _Last meal, _she thought grimly and stepped inside. A blast of air conditioning and the delight of being the only customer there (she _really _wasn't in the mood to deal with Naruto, who she was ignoring because of the kunai incident) greeted her at the entrance.

She sat in one of the spindly stools and the chef asked her what she wanted.

"The special," she said, because she didn't know what she wanted. This had been happening to her quite a lot lately. It was like that with Sasuke, too. She didn't know what she wanted to happen.

Her mind flashed to the visit to the hospital, when Sasuke had touched her cheek before falling asleep, and her heart, which had been in hibernation for so long, sprang to life and thumped in approval. She loved him so much. That was the only feeling she had allowed herself to feel for the past three years. She would never stop loving him, ever. She stared at the bowl of ramen that had been placed before her some time ago. There were still so many uncertainties. She was scared of loving him, scared he might not love her back and then leave again. Scared of being hurt like she was before, because she knew that if that happened she would never get better, would never smile again.

But perhaps even more than of him not loving her she was scared that he would. He might leave again anyway, or be forced out because of his past with Orochimaru, and that would be even worse, because there would be no end to the hope that someday, someday he would come for her and they would run away, someday Konoha would accept him and he could come back for good. At least if he left not loving her, she would be able to accept it, eventually. She would still be heartbroken and miserable, but it would be better than a life of endless sitting, waiting, wishing.

"Are you going to visit that Uchiha kid?" the chef asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts with a hard tug.

"What? What makes you think that?!" Sakura asked, extremely alarmed.

"I happen to know he's staying in the direction you were heading before you back-tracked and came in here. Besides, you look nervous." he winked at her, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone. And I don't think you have to worry either, I have deduced from my time spent in his presence that he has a real thing for you." he said it jokingly, but made it sound like Sakura and Sasuke were some psychological research project he was mildly interested in.

"Um... thanks." she handed the cheerful man his money and walked out into the silent street. The sun was just beginning to set, and the sky was a vast array of pinks, purples, oranges, and blues.

When she turned to continue to Kakashi's apartment, she saw to her dismay that Sasuke was already walking in the other direction towards her. She froze like a scared rabbit as he stopped only a few feet away from her. "I-I was just coming to see you..." she said.

Sasuke nodded like he was considering this very carefully. "Walk with me, then," he said.

She nodded and followed him up the hilly street, past Kakashi's apartment, past the little stores that ran up and down this particular road, kept walking until there were no buildings left. They didn't stop until they had walked to the beginnings of the mountain and to a stairway of stone steps that Sakura hadn't known existed. They were about a kilometer away from the first Hokage's face, carved into the mountain, as they climbed up the stairs to a kind of landing. There was a single not very sturdy-looking wooden bench bolted to the stone.

Sakura walked to the edge. You could see the entire village of Konoha from here. "Wow..." she breathed, barely aware that Sasuke was standing no less than a few feet from her.

"I used to come up here a lot, especially before I left," Sasuke said carefully, looking at the sunset with some satisfaction. "good place to think, you know?"

Sakura nodded.

"You said you came to visit me earlier. What did you want to say?"

"I had some...questions..." Sakura said only slightly nervously, still staring at the blood-red sunset.

Sasuke nodded, staring at her with calm onyx eyes. He was thinking about how beautiful she was, standing there, the soft wind rustling her skirts and blowing her dark-brown curls over her shoulders. Her body was highlighted by the last of the day's light, her pale skin not looking so ghostly anymore. Her green eyes looked calm for the first time since he'd met her; it was a deep kind of calm where you feel for a moment that anything could happen, and everything will turn out alright. A calm that you only experience once in a while, if you're lucky.

As they stood on the mountain together, two things struck Sasuke: one, that she had really matured over the four years he had been gone (both mentally _and_ physically, he couldn't help but notice), and she was no longer a silly thirteen-year-old who cared more about boys and her hair than training. For the first time, he could tell she didn't care how she looked, and her own self-confidence both impressed Sasuke and bewildered him. The second thing that occurred to him was how much he would like to kiss her, to touch her soft skin, to wrap his arms around her tiny waist and comfort her the best he could. Sasuke had never felt such an urge before and took a few moments to close his eyes and try his best to fight it off.

It was only when he opened his eyes that he remembered Sakura had some questions for him. "Okay," he said cautiously, "what do you want to know?"

Sakura thought for a moment. "Did you kill your brother?" she asked as casually as if she was asking him if he'd killed a couple of mice that had found their way into his apartment.

Sasuke's eyes clouded for a moment. "Itachi is indeed dead, but not by my hand." he was surprised by his own formalities.

Apparently Sakura was too, because she asked shyly, "do you know who killed him, then, Sasuke-kun?"

Only slightly elated in the calm, caring way she'd said his name, Sasuke shook his head.

Sakura nodded, "Okay...um...this one sounds so fangirl-ish of me... but did you really kill Orochimaru?"

Sasuke sighed. "For the sake of our conversation I'll say yes." the way he said it stated firmly that that was all he was going to say on that particular subject.

Sakura looked impressed, and a little scared. She gained her composure quickly, this next question was important.

"Why did you come back?" she asked quietly.

He sighed again. This was the big one. He remembered the promise he'd made himself, that he wouldn't tell her how he felt. But it was much too late for that now. And he knew that it would hurt her even more if he told her he didn't love her. Even though he knew in his heart that he did. He geared up to tell her the truth. She at least deserved that much.

He chickened out. Of course. How could he tell her such a thing? "I...wanted to see you again..." this was true, for all intents and purposes. "I wanted to see that you were alright, and I was curious to see you four years older. You are even more beautiful than I remembered, by the way." 

This was true, also. A true enough statement. But it wasn't the answer to her question.

The look of shock on her face was enough to make him doubt that she'd ever liked him at all. Sakura looked down at the floor, scarcely allowing herself to believe that he'd just said that to her. "I love you..." she said, because she knew that there was nothing truer that she could say.

Sasuke just looked at her silently for a moment, the urge to run to her and take her in his arms was becoming slightly overwhelming. Did it matter why he came? All that mattered was he was _here._ "I don't know how I feel..." he said softly, holding her green eyes with his own, unconsciously taking a tentative step forwards. "I only know that I hate to see you unhappy. That you are the most beautiful person I know. And that more than anything, I know I can't be with you because I'm so afraid of hurting you again."

Sakura considered this, telling herself not to freak out, ordering her heart to calm down. She had to think rationally about this. "I think..." she said, considering her words carefully, "I think that it would hurt more... never knowing... at least... I'd have something worthwhile to remember..." she knew she wasn't making any sense, but miraculously enough she looked into Sasuke's clear, honest eyes and they were telling her he understood perfectly.

Sasuke stepped towards her. "I think that there is an excellent possibility that if we do this we will both end up falling, no matter what." and she knew he didn't mean they would fall from the cliff they were standing at the edge of at that moment (how appropriate that he'd brought her here of all places, she thought later). It was the cliff of their sanity.

"That's a chance I'll have to take," she whispered. They were only a foot apart, at the most.

Sasuke knew that there was no turning back now. So did Sakura. He lifted her chin so that she was looking at him (he was a good few inches taller than she was), leaned in oh so slowly, giving her time to turn away, to run, to change her mind about him and what her already battered heart could take. She didn't, just continued standing there, frozen. It was what he'd expected from her.

One hand still on her chin, one hand intwined with her own (to this day he can't remember how it got there), he leaned over and softly pressed his mouth to hers, thinking as he did it how very warm she was and how he'd never actually kissed a girl before. Hardly believing that this was happening (but thanking the lord it was), Sakura placed her other arm around his neck and responded the best she could, and she couldn't help but think, _there is nothing sweeter than a first kiss._

XxXxXxX

Kakashi watched Sasuke and Sakura talking from the rooftop of his apartment building (he'd promised Tsunade he'd keep a close eye on them, after all). They seemed to be stepping closer to each other the whole time, and Sasuke's next move made him wonder just what they'd been talking about. He watched, torn between confusion, satisfaction, and foreboding (a strange combination), as Sasuke took a final step, held Sakura's hand in his, and kissed her slowly and softly, like he was asking her if she was okay with him doing what he was.

The kiss lasted a long time. Two things immediately came into his head: one, that something really remarkable had happened to Sasuke during his time away, and two, Sasuke also had to leave in less than a week and a half. Kakashi shook his head.

But for tonight, all was well. For tonight, everything was perfect, because Kakashi knew with a certainty he rarely felt that he had just witnessed a kiss that both Sakura and Sasuke would remember for the rest of their lives.


	4. A Decision To Be Made

**CHAPTER FOUR: A DECISION TO BE MADE**

Sasuke walked into the kitchen and sat down at the long marble counter. Kakashi was standing at the stove, and Sasuke stared at the pan full of bubbling eggs and sizzling bacon he was tending to.

"Do you usually cook that much?" Sasuke asked, anything to break the uncomfortable silence that he knew must mean Kakashi had something important he wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. Though perhaps he didn't realize it, he knew as much about Kakashi's mannerisms as Kakashi knew about his.

"Not generally," he said, shrugging. "I was just a little restless this morning."

Sasuke nodded, not meeting his eye. Kakashi _knew_, he knew about Sakura and what had happened the night before. Sasuke was certain of it. Of _course _he knew, he was _Kakashi-sensei, _for god's sake, the one person Sasuke found it impossible to keep a secret from.

Kakashi put a plate in front of Sasuke on the counter, and ate his own standing up, leaning on the sink, watching Sasuke carefully. The way he was refusing to meet Kakashi's eye told him he knew that Kakashi knew about him and Sakura. He always was a good observer. That made what he felt inclined to say a little easier.

"You have to leave in nine days..." Kakashi said softly, looking at him.

"I know," Sasuke said, staring at his food.

"How exactly were you planning on telling her that?"

"I don't know," he said unhelpfully. "just trust me on this one thing: I am about ten times more worried about it than you are."

"Then why did you—"

"Why did _I_?" Sasuke asked incredulously, "It was her choice, you have to understand that. I didn't want to. I mean, I did want to, you have no idea how much, but... I didn't want... to do what I did last time..." he trailed off, and Kakashi could hear in his voice just how upset and sorry for what he was doing to her he was.

Kakashi sighed.

"Is it all over town now?" Sasuke asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"I think not," Kakashi said, "if it were all over town Ino would have come barging in here by now, demanding the truth." he smiled slightly.

"Then how did you know?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Tsunade told me to look out for you two and that's exactly what I'm doing." he said mysteriously, as if he had some secret way of watching him and Sakura. In reality, the idea of spying on them from a roof top seemed so immature an idea to Kakashi that he'd rather no one knew about it. Sasuke eyed him suspiciously.

"Could you hear what we were saying?"

Feeling that lying about this might cause a bit of a communication gap, he said, "Unfortunately, no."

Kakashi expected Sasuke to look relieved, but instead he frowned thoughtfully. "That _would _explain your confusion, then." Then he raised an eyebrow at Kakashi, "So you basically just stood there and watched us make out?"

Only because that was a statement he'd _never_ thought he would hear Sasuke say, _ever, _he burst out laughing. And even though Sasuke _was_ worried about Sakura, that wasn't enough to spoil the good mood he'd been in ever since the happenings of the night before, and he smiled slightly.

Kakashi quickly pulled himself together and tried to look serious again. This was important.

"So," he said, "are your feelings for her still uncertain?"

Calming down as well, Sasuke shook his head slightly.

Kakashi nodded, considering this. "Would you consider...staying? If you could?"

Sasuke looked up,"We both know I'm not welcome here," he said quietly.

Kakashi just looked at him. He couldn't deny that what Sasuke said was true.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and after a long pause Kakashi ran to answer it.

"Hi!" exclaimed Kakashi as he opened the door, clearly surprised.

"Kakashi-sensei," said the voice by means of a greeting.

Sasuke stepped into the hall, and Kakashi stepped aside so he could see who it was. It was Sakura. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail, and she' d cut her dress to knee-length and slit the sides so she could train. It looked like it was fashioned after her old red dress. Even though her expression was serious, the rings under her eyes had lightened considerably and she looked a little healthier, like she'd just had the first good night sleep in four years.

They looked at each other in silence for what felt like a long time. Kakashi looked at them both nervously.

Finally Sakura said, "You're leaving." It wasn't a question.

Not knowing what to say, he said, "Yes."

"When?" she kept her voice calm and emotionless. Her tone reminded Sasuke of ice, for some reason.

"A little over a week."

"Oh."

"Tsunade's doing."

"Right."

"No one wants me to stay here."

"Nobody?" she looked at him carefully. "Nobody but me?"

"Nobody because of you." he didn't say it accusingly, but matter-of-factly.

She looked down at the floor, a little embarrassed by how she'd acted the past few years.

"Who told you he was leaving?" Kakashi had the sense to ask.

"Tsunade-sama," she said like it was obvious.

They stood in silence for a long time. Sasuke stared at the girl standing in front of him, the Chuunin, the medical ninja, his ex-teammate. The girl couldn't help but love. The girl he'd hurt so many times. He couldn't stand it, couldn't stand what he was doing to her. And what was yet to come, the inevitable. It was a tricky situation.

Sakura noticed that Sasuke was looking at her a little oddly. What could he be thinking? She looked at him carefully too, mentally taking down all the things that had changed about him. His onyx eyes had lost their cool stoniness, and were instead warm and honest. He'd grown in the usual ways, too, he was taller and his shoulders broader, his face perhaps a little thinner, having lost most of his boyish chubbiness. The crystal that he wore around his neck was new also, and Sakura wondered briefly where he'd gotten it. And then she wondered how she would cope once he left.

_You made this choice, Sakura, _her inner voice told her defiantly, _he didn't particularly want to do this to you, remember?_

She remembered, but it didn't make her feel any better. She would just have to take advantage of the time she had left with him. She didn't know what else to do.

After what felt like an eternity, Kakashi said, "I have some work to do, so I'll see you both later," and he slipped past Sakura and out the door. They needed to figure this out for themselves, he reasoned. No matter what Tsunade said.

Once Kakashi had closed the door behind him, Sasuke pointed to the couch in the living room. "Sit down?"

She nodded and sat, and Sasuke sat down beside her.

"So," she said weakly.

"So," he echoed. "what exactly are we doing about this?"

Sakura looked at him, too surprised to say anything.

"Sakura..." he sighed. "I decided, when I came to Konoha, that I couldn't, wouldn't, tell you how I felt. I was so scared of what would happen once I left. I failed in this, and I apologize for that." he paused, looking at Sakura carefully.

"Don't apologize," she said softly, "don't you dare apologize."

Pretending he hadn't heard her, he continued, "I can't stay. As much as I wish I could. I betrayed this village and everyone in it, I'm still technically a missing-nin. I'm in the new Konoha Bingo Book, for god's sake. My own faults, my own sick seek for revenge has caused this. _All _of this. And that is a really horrible feeling, knowing that."

"Sasuke." she said, and he froze. "please... please don't blame yourself. This was my choice. I love you. I always will. I only wish to make the most out of the time we have left. Please..."

He stared at her, wishing more than anything he could turn back time to before he'd come here. But would she really have been better off? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that there really wasn't any turning back from what had happened since he'd come. He couldn't turn back time. He couldn't wipe her memory. He couldn't do anything, except maybe love her, take advantage of what little time they had left together. Sasuke didn't like being backed into corners, and this corner was so tight he thought he was having a little trouble breathing. Or maybe that just comes from having a beautiful girl sitting so close to you.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm scared of leaving you worse than I came to you in..."

Sakura shook her head. "That's what I thought too, for a while," she said softly, "but how...how can I be unhappy knowing there's somewhere out there who loves me?"

Sasuke thought about this. He had no idea if this was true. He decided to trust her.

"So...we're doing this, then?" he asked.

She laughed at his uncertainty, and said, "I guess so."

_She's so much prettier when she laughs, _Sasuke found himself thinking. He couldn't help it, and smiled too. He suddenly felt happier then he'd been in a very long time, like a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was light as a feather.

Sakura didn't know if she'd ever seen him smile before, other than when she'd visited him in the hospital. He was always so _serious _about everything; he never let his true emotions shine through. But she could feel him cracking, even now, parting from the cold, serious Sasuke he'd been since his family had been killed. And she knew as she sat on the couch with him that she was caught in one of those suspended, happy moments that almost make you sad because you know things can never be this wonderful again. She tried to memorize his smile and the way it made his eyes sparkle, so the image would be with her forever.

And this time _she _kissed _him._

XxXxXxX

"_WHAT_?!" Naruto screamed, causing passersby to glance up at him in astonishment.

_"NO WAY!" _Lee yelled even louder than Naruto.

Hinata winced, thinking that maybe it hadn't been the best idea for Shikamaru to tell them this.

"You saw them _KISSING? WHEN?!" _Naruto cried.

"Kakashi's place. They didn't close the curtains. I was just on my way to Ichiraku's when I saw them by accident," Shikamaru shrugged. Naruto paled.

"I refuse to believe it!!" cried Lee passionately.

Shikamaru shrugged again, "Your issue. Not mine."

"He's telling the truth, Fuzzy Brows," Naruto said, still abnormally pale.

Shikamaru stared at them both, and then at Hinata, who was blushing for some reason. When he realized it was because Naruto was sitting next to her on the long counter of Ichiraku's, he rolled his eyes. She seriously needed to break up with Shino and tell him how she felt, and soon. Before he got fed up and did it himself.

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Lee demanded.

"First of all, what does he have to gain by lying? And secondly, have you _ever_ seen Shikamaru lie?" Naruto demanded impatiently.

Lee found he was right. He took a big gulp of soup and the hot liquid scalded his throat. Anything it took to distract him.

"That bastard..." Naruto muttered.

"Don't go and attack him again, Naruto," Shikamaru said warily. "he's ready for it this time and I'm telling you he _will _kick your butt."

"How can you be so sure?!" Lee asked, "We have the power of YOUTH!"

"Ever wonder how he got here without Orochimaru rushing over and killing us all to get him back? Or why he's not dead in the first place?" Shikamaru asked quietly. "He's killed Orochimaru. Killed a couple of his most powerful, er—_sidekicks —_ too, last I heard."

Naruto whistled softly. Lee just looked stunned. Hinata couldn't help but smile. So Orochimaru was finally gone! But how had Sasuke done what their own Third Hokage couldn't? How powerful was Sasuke, really?

Naruto stood up and walked out of Ichiraku's

"Hey, where are you going?!" Shikamaru called.

"Nowhere!" he shouted back, and stormed up the road.

"Uh oh," Shikamaru breathed.

XxXxXxX

"Are you going to ever tell us how you killed him? Or even what you've been doing these years?" Kakashi asked Sasuke impatiently.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were all sitting in the living room, Sasuke and Sakura on the couch, Kakashi on the easy chair at the other end of the room, staring at the two of them intently.

Sasuke sighed. Not this again.

"I just don't understand how you managed to kill one of the most dangerous ninja in the Bingo Book!" Kakashi said, exasperated.

"It's not that hard, really, assuming you have half his followers on your side and he has no idea you're plotting against him," said Sasuke, shrugging.

Kakashi and Sakura just stared at him. Suddenly, the door swung open behind them with a loud bang and a loud shout was audible from the hall.

"_COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON_?!"


	5. Welcome to Konoha's Gossip Grapevine

**CHAPTER FIVE: WELCOME TO KONOHA'S GOSSIP GRAPEVINE**

"_COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON_?!" Naruto ran into the room, looking torn between anger and confusion. Like he wanted to punch someone, but didn't who to aim at.

"Naruto?!" Sakura exclaimed furiously.

"What the hell, Naruto..." Sasuke muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with the arm that had only a few seconds ago been wrapped around Sakura's waist.

Kakashi looked only mildly amused as he said, "Is there something we can do for you?"

Sasuke glared at Kakashi. Naruto stormed into the living room and sat down. "Yeah!" he exclaimed. "You two–" he glared at Sasuke and Sakura sitting on the couch together. "–can tell me that all these rumors that have been flying around are one hundred percent completely and utterly _wrong!"_

"What exactly have you been hearing...?" Sasuke sighed.

"That you two have been _kissing! Right there! Without closing the blinds!_" he rambled, looking even more distraught as he looked from Sakura blushing a deep red, to Sasuke looking both embarrassed and extremely uncomfortable, to Kakashi, who seemed to be having a great deal of trouble keeping his expression blank.

"Er–" Sakura began.

"Well..." Sasuke stuttered.

Kakashi just stared at them both, and fought the irrepressible urge to laugh. He'd never seen Sasuke _blush _before. "Now, now," he said, his voice thick with laughter, "let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Naruto glared at his grey-haired teammate. Sasuke took this chance to compose his face, but he couldn't quite manage the withdrawn expression he'd mastered before all of this, so he settled for a tight grimace. Sakura just sat there and stared at the floor.

"So it's all _true?" _Naruto demanded disbelievingly, finding the answer he needed in Sakura's face. "Agh! I can't believe it!"

Still muttering darkly, Naruto stormed out of the apartment, no doubt off to alert the rookies of Konoha. **(A/N: I KNOW they aren't rookies anymore, but in this story it's kind of like that whole groups' nickname. Shall we review? **_Rookies of Konoha: Naruto, Sakura, Lee, TenTen, Neji, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino. Plus Gai and Kakashi. (These ninja are also known as the 'Rookie Nine'.) _**Let me know if I forgot anyone, though I don't think I did.)**

They all watched Naruto slam the door and run down the street to Ichiraku's.

"And now it begins..." Kakashi breathed.

XxXxXxX

**INO**

The flower shop was unusually quiet that day. I sat at the marble counter and drummed my sparkling pink nails against the counter, wishing someone would come in, if only to buy a single flower. If only to walk around and glance at them all before leaving again. She'd take anyone, anything that meant an end to the boredom.

Anything but what happened next.

TenTen ran into the flower shop, looking flushed. "Hey Ino!" she gasped.

"TenTen!" I sighed in relief.

"Have you heard?" TenTen asked anxiously, ignoring my pleasant greeting.

"Heard what?" I asked, alarmed.

"Sasuke!!" TenTen almost shouted. "He's back!! And he and Sakura..." she grinned mischievously, and I could guess the rest. "Too bad you're dating Lee, eh?" she snickered. "Been a while since you two competed for a guy."

That's right. I _was _dating Lee. But before you say anything, you should know he has matured a lot these couple of years, since he'd kind of taken up the job of taking care of Sakura. He gave up on her romantically – she would never love anyone but Sasuke. As for me, I got over him fast. A month after he left I asked out with Shikamaru. That was before he fell in love with the Sand nin, Temari, of course.

So I no longer cared about who Sasuke dated, or who he loved. I'd outgrown him big time. But Sakura. . . Sakura never outgrew him. As much as I might deny it, she'd always loved him much more than I had. She knew him better. I hated to admit it, but there it was.

So, keeping all this in mind, I was happy for Sakura. I really was. But being the girl I was, I couldn't help but giggle at the possibilities that lay in store for me, as the town gossip, the girl who kept the gossip grapevine moving.

I smiled. "I'm glad, you know?"

She nodded. "But now you're going to go spread it around as far as you can, right? Make sure there isn't one person in Konoha who doesn't know?"

My smile widened. She rolled her eyes. "Well, I have to go – I've got a mission in Suna. I just wanted to see you before I left." she waved goodbye as she stepped out onto the crowded street.

XxXxXxX

**TSUNADE**

"Er–Tsunade-sama. . ." I watched curiously as Kakashi stood in front of me, looking extremely uncomfortable. "I'm a little worried about this whole Sakura-Sasuke debacle."

I inclined my head slowly. I was a little worried about Sakura myself. Usually, I wouldn't worry about such things (romances, especially), but I loved Sakura like my own daughter, and I worried that she would be hurt even more then she was last time.

"And what would you like me to do about it...?" I asked, more to myself than to Kakashi.

He looked even more uncomfortable (if that was possible) as he rubbed the back of his neck and said hesitantly, "I was hoping he may be permitted to. . . to stay. In Konoha, I mean. Join Team 7 again. . ." he trailed off, knowing it was hopeless even before he looked up, awaiting my answer.

"You know. . . as well as I do. . . perhaps better, you spend more time with the rookies than I, that it's. . .impossible. They all. . . despise him. For leaving. For doing what he did to Sakura. And more than that, he's a missing nin. He left. He's in the Bingo Book. We have nothing more than his word in the instance of Orochimaru being dead. We can't trust him completely, not yet.

"He will never find acceptance in his village. His old friends. . . they will no doubt forgive him, over time, but those who do not know him... the villagers... he will be an outcast for his whole stay. The story is spreading, as we speak, in the capable hands of Ino."

Kakashi looked startled.

"Yes, I sent TenTen to tell her the story myself."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Kakashi looked horrified.

"I told TenTen. . . not quite the truth, but close enough. It's better my story spreads rather than Naruto's. . ." I grimaced.

"I suppose... that is right. And I know you are right about him staying, too, it's just that..." Kakashi trailed off, searching for the right words to describe what he felt. "Sasuke is... different. Perhaps you didn't realize when he came to see you, when he first came back. You must know by now that he hides his feelings very well, he's one of the best. But you didn't know him so well before he left, which I suppose would make the differences harder to see.

"I, on the contrary, knew him very well. He was in my team, I trained him for the Chuunin exams, I watched him fight the curse mark and his own rage. He was always angry. . ." Kakashi shook his head sadly. "His past. . . . He went through things most people can scarcely imagine, let alone at such a young age."

I was intrigued. "Angry? At Itachi, I presume?"

Kakashi considered this. "Well, yes, to an extent, but mostly angry with himself. Why wasn't he as good as his brother? Why wasn't he stronger? Or why wasn't he strong _enough_, rather. Why hadn't he been strong enough to defend his family. . ."

"But Itachi was a very strong Jounin, and a yielder of the Mangekyou Byakugan, no less! Had he really deluded himself enough to think he had a chance of defeating him?!" I interrupted hotly.

Kakashi held up a hand. "I didn't say it was logical. Pain, and regret don't make you logical. As I'm sure you already know." he said it kindly, but I cringed all the same. "Shall I continue? It really gets rather important, at this point. About a year after Team 7 formed, Naruto. . . improved. He more than improved. He took leaps and bounds. He brought himself up to Sasuke's level, and this horrified him. Brought on a whole _new _set of worries, like he needed them. _Why aren't I improving? Why is Naruto so much better than me? Why am i so WEAK?" _Kakashi shook his head again. "It was insane. I knew he wouldn't last much longer. He left. End of story."

I looked at him curiously. "And he's. . . no longer angry?"

"Oh, no, don't misunderstand me." Kakashi said. "He's still very angry. At Itachi, and at himself, though for immensely different reasons. But he refuses to let the anger lord over him, to rule his life. He sees he's been a fool.

"Sasuke is not an bad person. There is a significant difference between an bad person and a person who makes bad mistakes, bad choices. Though distinguishing the two for what they are is not easy. I'm still not even sure about Orochimaru."

I stared at him in disbelief. He smiled a little at my incredulity before continuing, "let me rephrase myself. Let's say there is a starving man. He is very poor and can't afford to feed himself. He steals a piece of fruit from a market. Is he an evil person?" He stared at me with his one exposed eye with surprising force.

"I don't think so, no." I took a deep breath. "Bad choices. . . yes, I see. So you believe Sasuke is the latter of the two options?"

Kakashi nodded once. "Something about his time away changed him. I believe it was seeing all those people that Orochimaru made suffer. And realizing, after Itachi's death, that he really didn't feel any better about his parents, and that living for revenge isn't really living at all. He learned to care for someone other than himself. He's a different man. He's mature."

"And you think he can handle living here as an object of hate?" I asked, steering back to the original question, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Kakashi said quietly. "I can see he truly loves Sakura. I always knew he did, he just didn't pay any attention to those feelings, the anger was so overpowering." Kakashi shrugged, "They are happy together. Their relationship is as easy as breathing to them."

I thought about this carefully. "Let's wait until his time is up. See how everyone else reacts, see if he truly has changed and make sure we can trust him. That is when I will make my decision." I sighed.

"I agree." Kakashi said, and backed out of the room. "We will talk later?"

I nodded. He sighed and pushed the double doors open, stepped out into the hall, and closed them softly behind him. Leaving me to sit with my thoughts.

XxXxXxX

**CHOUJI**

I never really liked Sasuke much. The way he never talked to us at the academy, like he was too cool for all of us, how all the girls (including my beautiful Ino) drooled all over him and he never gave them a second glance. How he was so much _better_ at everything than I could ever hope to be.

I knew about his family. And I felt bad for him, I did. But when he left Sakura like that, I can shamelessly say I _really _hated him. Of course, I never knew Sakura that well (I hadn't talked to her much), but I knew she was sweet and smart and an amazing medical ninja. Everyone said she would surpass the Hokage, who could not do any jutsu's and had nothing but her incredible strength and amazing medical skills. Sakura learned the strength and the medical stuff, but she could do genjutsu and ninjutsu, too. I admired her from afar. I hated seeing her in so much pain.

And then he came _back. _I nearly keeled over when Ino told me. How could he? After everything he put Shikamaru through in his rescue mission, after breaking Sakura's heart cleanly in two. And after all this, he just waltzed in and decided he wanted Sakura just like that. I didn't understand it. I wanted to punch him, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to tempt Sakura and her strength. I settled for hitting the wall instead. I'm still paying the restaurant manager for the gaping hole I inflicted upon the drywall.

**KIBA**

I think I can honestly say I wasn't mad when Sasuke came back. I was mad about what he did, sure. We all loved Sakura, and we hated it when she got hurt. So I was mad when he took off to Orochimaru. But his being back makes Sakura happy. That's all I care about.


	6. The Deafening Silence

**CHAPTER SIX: THE DEAFENING SILENCE**

The old hall was, among other things, completely silent. You could hear a mouse perhaps twitching it's whiskers in its tiny hole, and the faint _drip, drip, _of water droplets falling to the stone floor from the irregularly moist ceiling. If one were to stop for a moment and really look at their surroundings (and not many did, perhaps for good reason), one may suppose the silence almost seemed to grow louder as the seconds passed, until the quiet itself was almost deafening.

Aside from the rather quiet nature of the room, it was also rather damp, and smelled continuously of rainwater and freshly cut grass. There were little pools of water everywhere between the large stone pillars that stood firmly in long rows up and down the hall, with a gap very much like an aisle in the middle. On both ends of the aisle were two very sturdy-looking wooden doors. On either side of both doors were two flaming torches that contributed little to the very dark hall.

The room was planned in such a way that if someone were to walk through either of the doors the present occupants would see the visitors before the visitors saw them. That was why he liked this room in particular so much, liked hiding in the shadows and remaining unseen by anyone who visited, whether he was expecting them or not. He felt it put him at an immediate advantage over his visitor, whether or not they were an opponent. It was just the way his mind worked – untrusting and competitive. Everyone is the enemy. Though he didn't often come here for meetings or surprise attacks, most often he came just to think. The silence that others found eery he found relaxing, and sometimes he even brought some soggy crumbs to feed the mouse living in the walls.

But today as he sat in his navy armchair, cloaked in darkness as always, the air was thick with anticipation. He sat at the edge of his seat, hands clasped together firmly, carefully blank expression on his face. His scraggly black hair fell limply to his waist, and his stony green eyes were set on the slightly smaller door to his left. He sat like that for what felt like a long time, perhaps for hours, until it opened.

A tall figure in a dark, hooded cloak stepped neatly into the room and shut the door with a soft _click_. Turning, the figure walked slowly and very gracefully down the hall, the sound of his or her footsteps echoing softly, stopping finally right in front of his master's navy armchair without stopping to squint into the darkness. Orochimaru smiled to himself. Of course, he kept forgetting about the night vision.

"You wished to see me. Are our current arrangements not living up to your original plans?" The figure asked in a deep, calm voice.

"No. The information flow, as it were, is keeping up nicely. The _information itself _is my reason for calling you here," he said, his voice turning from calm to biting in record time.

"Oh," the cloaked man asked, voice still maintaining its cold detachment. "may I be so bold as to ask why." he didn't ask it like a question, but rather like a question you somewhat already knew the answer to.

"I'm not sure I need explain it. You should know that what you've informed me about Konoha's inner workings is completely useless to my work."

"Perhaps I might be of more use if I heard more about this 'work' that you need me rallying information for?" he asked icily.

"My plans are none of your concern."

"I disagree."

"That is your right."

"As is the right to know what you are seeking in my village."

"Perhaps."

They stood in silence for what felt like a long time. All Orochimaru could see of his visitor in the darkness were his pale lavender eyes, glowing only slightly with the strain of their powers.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Orochimaru said sharply, disliking the feeling of vulnerability associated with telling another person of his intentions. He could tell his spy understood at once.

"I thought Akatsuki gave up on him," he spat, his dislike for what he was being asked to do made obvious in his voice. "So they're paying for information?"

"Not information," Orochimaru said slowly and deliberately. "Him."

The silvery cloak quivered as he stifled a gasp, which resulted in an odd choking sound that lasted several seconds before he could gasp, "And you _agreed _to this _ridiculous _scheme? You don't need _me _to tell you he's guarded better than any other person in Konoha. By both of the other two Legendary Sennin, Hatake Kakashi, all of the Rookies. At least three or four of his friends are with him all the time, and they're all well past Genin-level! Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, and Lee are all _Jounins._ Not to mention the fact that Naruto is secretly bugged and everything that happens to him is recorded and sent to Tsunade herself, along with the tapes from the hidden cameras in his living room, kitchen, and outside hallway." He took a gasp of air and was quietly trying to calm himself down.

Orochimaru sat in his chair with his head balancing on his hands, gazing at him in fascination. Even if it was told out of exasperation and anger, it was what he had been waiting to hear. Originally, he'd believed the topic of Naruto would come up eventually, even if him and Naruto had never been close friends. That wasn't his fault, of course.

"Even so, I must admit Akatsuki is offering something I want very badly," Orochimaru paused, looking at his hands, smooth and soft even for all his years. Finally, he looked into those lavender eyes intently and said quietly, "You will give me the key to finding mighty Konoha's weakness. And you will help me take Naruto from them."

"Hai..." he said, a little sadly. "Orochimaru."

"Neji," he inclined his head, dismissing his spy.

Neji turned on his heel, strode swiftly to the door and opened it, a beam of sunlight dancing across the wet floor as the sun rose into the sky.

XxXxXxX

**(A/N: Keep in mind it's officially about a week since the last chapter, so Sasuke only has about. . . I think 3 or 4 days left in Konoha.)**

"The Konoha bonfire dance is tonight," Sakura suddenly. She and Sasuke were sitting in one of Konoha's ramen shops. Going to Ichiraku's was too risky, with so many Rookies that hated Sasuke with a burning passion hanging out there.

"The. . . what? Bonfire?" Sasuke shook his head, confused. "They didn't have that before, did they?"

"You mean, before you left? No, no, though you probably wouldn't have noticed anyway, right? No, once a year for the past. . . three years, I think, everyone gathers together and celebrates with a bonfire and a dance, and travelers set up stalls and sell things like food and jewelry and sometimes clothing like shawls and things. It's supposed to be a lot of fun!"

Sasuke had never seen Sakura this energetic before, at least not since he had been back. She'd been better, sure, taken leaps and bounds, changing everything back to normal about herself (with the exception of her brown hair, which she actually preferred to the pink) and smiling and laughing with everyone. But she could still be reserved, and quiet, and even shyer than before, and she no longer beat on Naruto whenever he was being stupid and annoying. But maybe that was just because she was still so angry about the kunai incident.

But today when they met as usual at Kakashi's, she'd been bright, bouncy, and cheerful as ever. She was like her old self again, only much calmer and much more intelligent. It was the perfect balance. And she seemed very excited about the dance that was to be held that night in the main streets. So he agreed, as they both knew he would.

"Alright then," he sighed, "what time?"

"Six," Sakura smiled contentedly and kissed Sasuke on the cheek, leaning over the table. "My apartment."

Sasuke smiled to himself, he couldn't help it. "Six," he agreed, and stood up, "now, I must go and attend to some business of my own, so I will see you then."

"Alright," Sakura said, "don't you dare be late!" she tried her best to look serious, but couldn't quite manage it. She settled for an expression somewhere between a grimace and a smile.

Sasuke laughed, "I'll be there at 11:59, just to be sure." He kissed her, just as slowly and hesitantly as the first kiss on the cliff, and left the ramen shop.

XxXxXxX

"There he is. Let's go."

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

"We have to be careful. If we're caught following Sasuke by anyone but the people in on the plan, it'll mean trouble."

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

"Okay. Follow me."

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

"Shush!"

Naruto and Lee scrambled to their feet and jumped from the roof of the ramen shop to the BBQ Pork roof, and then on the home roofs, always sure to keep the dark figure below them visible. They followed him through the town and right to the town gate. Here he stopped, signed out at the table at the gate, and continued on his way as if him sneaking out of the city was the most normal thing in the world, leaving Naruto and Lee behind, looking flabbergasted from behind a bush they were hiding in.

"What could he be doing out of Konoha?!" Lee whispered incredulously, the optimist.

"I have some ideas," Naruto whispered darkly, and they both climbed out of the bush and made after Sasuke down the dusty road.

For some reason, Naruto was suddenly reminded of the first time he'd passed through those same gates as a new Genin, on his first mission with Sasuke and Sakura. He thought of Sakura's long pink hair and her bright, peaceful smile, and his own excitement at being out on a mission after finally graduating from the academy, and Sasuke's icy coolness that could occasionally be broken through, and the memory of Sasuke without the three swirls on his neck made Naruto smile. Even when they were fighting, life had seemed so uncomplicated and clear, everyone had goals and knew how to accomplish what they wanted. Everything would be okay, as long as they were together, a team. Friends. So much had changed since then.

Lee and Naruto jumped from tree limb to tree limb while Sasuke walked, calm and detached as ever, down the road in the wide open. He didn't seemed concerned about the passers-by that watched him curiously as he walked.

They continued like this for a long time, until suddenly Lee's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh!" he said, staring at Sasuke.

"What is it?" Naruto asked irritably, "and quiet down!"

Without saying anything, Lee jumped out of the trees and into the middle of the road, and performed a flying kick into Sasuke's stomach.


	7. Perhaps He Has Fallen In Love

**CHAPTER SEVEN: "PERHAPS HE HAS FALLEN IN LOVE"**

The main square was covered in lanterns and sparkling silver lights hanging off of the trees. Running up and down the square and the streets around it hundreds of stalls were set up by vendors and merchants who had come into Konoha especially for this event. Some hung silk robes and scarves and hand weaved clothing from hooks attached to their carts. Some were farmers, selling the last vegetables of the season. Some were fortune tellers and psychics, offering to tell people's fortunes or read their taro cards. And in the middle of all the madness was the reason for the event– a pile taller than any of the people of Konoha, a pile of what must have been two hundred neatly stacked logs, ready to be lit later in the night.

Sasuke watched children run back and forth from the wood pile, covering as far as they could reach in branches they'd just snapped off trees and what was left of old newspapers from the garbage. Sakura was already arguing with one of the vendors over a luminescent green and blue silk scarf. Sasuke sighed, shaking his head, and headed over to the cart.

"No way is this worth five thousand yen!" she argued passionately.

"This scarf was hand weaved!" the vendor said incredulously.

"Hah, I could weave my own scarf for less than this," Sakura scoffed. To tell the truth, she didn't even mind the high price very much, but it felt so good to argue again! She had missed this feeling. She felt _alive._

"That is my price, you pay it or leave," said the vendor roughly.

"I'll pay it," said Sasuke quietly from behind him. He handed the man what was left of his money and pulled the scarf gently from his stunned hands.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said wonderingly as he took her hand and pulled her from the cart as the vendor shouted, "but this is five hundred yen above my asking price!!"

"It's not okay to bring such attention to yourself. When you bring attention to yourself you bring attention to _us, _and that is something we don't need." Sasuke said roughly, though there was a deep sadness in his eyes.

Sakura looked horrified. "I'm sorry. . ." she said quietly.

He smiled slightly, all sense of anger vanishing, and wrapped the shimmering scarf around her. It matched her clear green eyes.

"Beautiful," he said. And he really meant it.

XxXxX

Neji watched the unlikely couple silently for a few moments, before he heard a familiar voice hissing in his ear.

"_Someone_ seems right at home after so many years," the voice remarked lightly as Sakura got on her tippy toes to kiss Sasuke lightly on the lips.

Neji turned to see a small bird in the shade of a soft grey fluttering behind him. He smirked, "Interesting choice of disguise. A little juvenile perhaps, but interesting all the same."

The little bird opened its beak and said bitingly (in a voice much deeper and colder than the average talking bird is capable of, I'm sure), "The whole point of a _disguise _is to _not be recognized. _Though perhaps you have not yet fully grasped so simple a concept?"

Neji scowled and turned back to where Sasuke and Sakura were still embracing. "I have to say, I've never seen anyone fulfill a mission quite so thoroughly."

"His job was to appear to everyone in Konoha that he's in love with the Blossom girl, and that is exactly what he's done."

"Perhaps a little _too _convincingly."

Unable to smirk like he wished, the little bird said, "Perhaps a little too convincing is what he needs to pull it off."

"Perhaps he has fallen in love."

"Perhaps." The bird could not deny his formerly revenge-obsessed apprentice had recently required a never before seen sparkle in his eye. He looked almost disconcertingly human.

Neji stood in silence for another few moments before turning, striding unflinchingly into the dark alleyway. The little grey bird gave his former home a last long look before he, too, disappeared into the darkness.

XxXxX

Even though Sasuke and Sakura had been together for at least a week, the subject was still met with varying levels of disdain and incredulity by both the citizens of Konoha and Sakura's fellow ninja. This was why as they moved from stall to stall, generally enjoying the festival and each other's company like any other couple there, the whispering seemed to quieten as they drew nearer and become increasingly louder as they got further away from the crowded areas. It was like a twisted version of the wave.

Though Sasuke had half a mind to tell them all to fuck off, the little voice inside his head told him it wouldn't make things any better, but rather exponentially worse. Almost painfully aware of the fact that the little voice was somewhat saner than he was at the moment, he tended to listen to it when it made it's appearances.

Gritting his teeth, he settled for keeping one arm firmly around Sakura's waist, something he was greatly amused to see was causing quite the disturbance all on its own.

Sakura on the other hand was having the time of her life. She barely noticed the town's somewhat bad reaction to them being together, and even if she had noticed it it probably wouldn't have bothered her so much. After four years of training herself to tune the world out, she was practiced at ignoring what she didn't want to hear, turning away from what she didn't want to see. Lost in her own little world. Apparently Sasuke was lost in it too, because whenever he was around, he was the only one she could see.

"It's giant!" They had finally come to the wood pile, and Sasuke looked at Sakura in amusement as she stared up at it wonderingly.

"Haven't you seen it before?" he asked.

She dragged her eyes away from the wood pile, stared at her strappy blue heels instead. It was the first time she'd ever worn them. "I didn't go to festivals and things much . . . before."

Sasuke wished he hadn't asked. He was almost painfully aware of the fact that Sakura had divided her life from four years ago onward into two sections: Before Sasuke Came Back and After Sasuke Came Back. Like his existence was the only thing of particular note in her life.

"I forgot something at Kakashi's," Sasuke said suddenly. "I need to go get it, but I'll only be ten minutes, promise."

Sakura's big green eyes were trusting. _More trusting than they should be, _the little voice in his head remarked snidely. "Alright," she said. "I'll be here."

"You can wander if you like, I'll find you," he leaned over and kissed her hair. It smelled like strawberries.

Sakura sighed, "don't be long," she said sadly.

He smiled sadly, and quickly turned so she wouldn't see the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

His body ran through the familiar city without his consent.

He'd never labeled himself a crier. Hell, he'd never labeled himself a _feeler. _All of these feelings were 100 new to him.

For instance, this wrenching sadness and guilt he felt now. It felt like sharp instruments were ripping away at his chest, his lungs, his heart. Only distantly aware that he had stopped moving, he sunk to his knees. He was having trouble breathing. He felt trapped, though he was outside. He brought several gulps of air into his lungs, let them out again.

It took him a good five minutes to compose himself, and realize where he was – exactly where he needed to be. In front of Naruto's apartment.

_Shit, _he thought. He was already behind.

As quickly as he could manage, he searched for a small red dot among the concrete on the side of the building. He found it directly across from Naruto's door.

"Bingo," he muttered, and carefully extracted the tiny camera from the rock with a few hand signs.

He tried the apartment door. Unlocked. Idiot Naruto. Sasuke entered the little apartment. He had a lot of work to do.

Ten minutes had passed by the time he got back to the festival. Sakura was still by the bonfire, watching Konohomaru and his friends attempt at lighting it with flaming torches. All three of them must be graduating from the Academy soon, she thought, startled. She remembered herself at that age, and sighed. Still, she didn't remember being that _short. _

Just as she was wondering where Sasuke had gone off to, she felt something cold wind around her neck. She looked down – a beautiful silver chain had suddenly appeared there, a tiny crystal heart hanging off it.

She smiled as a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "_I love you more than anything else in this world, Haruno Sakura_. _Marry me._"

What could she do, but nod.

The sun was just setting. It was their favourite time of day. There was a hush among the crowd as the bonfire was finally lit, and Uchiha Sasuke leaned over to kiss his fiancée.

XxXxX

Naruto yawned as he fumbled with his keys, trying to find the one that unlocked his apartment door. It had been a good festival, but it ran so _late. _He remembered his mission in Suna early the next morning and groaned silently.

He still couldn't believe he'd done something as juvenile as chase a _shadow clone _around Konoha. He remembered that moment when Lee had kicked Sasuke, and the grimacing figure had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. What he equally couldn't believe, was that Sasuke had foreseen them following him and left a shadow clone in the first place. What could possibly be so important to hide, if he really was fighting his dark side?

He inserted what he thought must have been the right key into the lock and unlocked the door with a soft _click_. He opened the door and found his apartment exactly how he left it. Still wondering what Sasuke was planning, he reached over to turn on the light, but a cold hand grabbed his wrist to stop him.

A familiar voice muttered, "_do exactly as I say and no one will get hurt."_


	8. Prelude To The End

**CHAPTER EIGHT: PRELUDE TO THE END**

A deep calm had filled Konoha. Even the drunkest, most boisterous party-goers had long since passed out in their dark apartments, and the whole village was quiet. Yes, quiet, and yet a little deeper than that, a calm so absolute it acts like a lullaby and you drift off to sleep, the sad little tune echoing in your head. An old man in a white cloak closes his door, puts an old black book back on its shelf. He shakes his head, unsure of what he has just done. Married a couple of children. It was quiet in Konoha, and yet the quiet was full of life. Amongst it, two shadows roamed the city, holding hands.

They said not a word to each other as they walked, but both knew where they were going. They passed Kakashi's apartment, where he watched them pass from the couch in his living room. They walked to the edge of town to the crumbling staircase that led to the cliff with the bench.

The sun had long set, and the moon bathed the village in an eerily beautiful silver light. Sasuke climbed the steps slowly, holding Sakura's hand loosely in his to ensure she wouldn't fall as she followed him slowly up.

They stood on the cliff together and watched the stars twinkle. They were two people, and yet they were one. His sorrow was her pain. Her joy was his happiness. Two people who fit together like the last two puzzle pieces in this world's endless game. Together, they were whole, and yet apart they were nothing. They needed each other. They were two pieces that fit unconditionally, about to be torn apart.

She rested her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her waist. They watched the sky. It was quiet. Tomorrow all hell would break loose. Tomorrow someone would walk into Naruto's apartment and he would not be there. Tomorrow will always come, and by tomorrow, Naruto would probably already be dead. Those were the facts. The truth.

Sasuke knew the truth. He had accepted it. He refused to tell Sakura of it. She would know, soon enough. And he would be gone. And the two of them would be two useless pieces of an unfinished puzzle again. He closed his eyes.

It's a funny thing, to be exhausted by the past and afraid of the future. What do you dream of at night? What images rest behind your eyelids; looking forward? Looking back? Perhaps neither. Perhaps you refuse to dream at all. There is nothing to dream for.

Sasuke still had two more days in Konoha, yet they both knew tonight was the end. Their togetherness had been a comet on a dim night. It's there for awhile, bright and bursting and beautiful, and then it's gone in the blink of an eye. But their love will carry on forever, like a memory of a flash of light you see only once every hundred years.

Sasuke walks Sakura back to her apartment. They kiss softly. He asks her a question with his eyes. She answers with a small nod. Unlocks her apartment door, and they both go inside.


End file.
